Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage said that amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, all its 157 Natural Grocers stores will be closing early at 7:35 PM to carry out sanitization.

The US organic grocery store chain said that the early closing of the stores will enable the good4u Crews to restock and perform a thorough cleaning. All the Natural Grocers stores will open at their normal posted times.

The new closing hours will continue to be in place until further notice, said the organic grocery store chain.

The announcement comes in the wake of President Donald Trump declaring COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) a national emergency.

Natural Grocers was established by Margaret Isely and Philip Isely in 1955 to help improve the health and wellbeing of our communities and help all families to thrive.

Owners of Natural Grocers made a statement on the early closing of the stores due to the coronavirus outbreak, which reads: “Today, the Isely family believes that everyone deserves to have access to fresh, affordable high-quality foods, household essentials and supplements, especially in times of uncertainty.

“To help support the communities it serves, Natural Grocers continues to focus on regularly cleaning the most frequently touched surfaces in its stores, and the good4u Crews are working to keep shelves stocked with household essentials, supplements and healthy foods.”